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U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks is stepping down effective immediately, the latest senior immigration official to leave the Department of Homeland Security since Secretary Markwayne Mullin took office, Fox News was the first to report.Video above: Senate Republicans unveil $72 billion immigration plan, $1 billion for White House East Wing”It’s just time,” Banks told the outlet. “I feel like I got the ship back on course. From the least secure disastrous chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen. Time to pass the reigns, 37 years its time to enjoy the family and life.” Before taking office as chief, Banks had multiple positions with Border Patrol throughout his career, including as head agent of the Weslaco, Texas, station. The Houston Chronicle reported that Banks said he left the Border Patrol in 2022 because he disagreed with President Joe Biden’s policies, “including his decision to end mandatory DNA testing of migrants and to assign more agents to process migrants for release amid a record surge in crossings.”Shortly after he stepped down, Banks was tapped by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as the state’s first border czar. He stayed in that position from January 2023 to January 2025, advising Abbot during Operation Lone Star, the state’s response to what Texas officials described as a “border crisis” under President Joe Biden’s administration.That operation, and Banks’ role in it, won praise from President Donald Trump, who appointed Banks as the top Border Patrol official in January 2025.Banks led the agency through a period of significantly expanded enforcement, in line with the Trump administration’s hard-line campaign to arrest and deport people in the country without legal status. Since immigration enforcement officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, the president’s agenda has lost popularity with voters, and no new major city-based operations have been launched.CNN contributed to this report.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks is stepping down effective immediately, the latest senior immigration official to leave the Department of Homeland Security since Secretary Markwayne Mullin took office, Fox News was the first to report.
Video above: Senate Republicans unveil $72 billion immigration plan, $1 billion for White House East Wing
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“It’s just time,” Banks told the outlet. “I feel like I got the ship back on course. From the least secure disastrous chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen. Time to pass the reigns, 37 years its time to enjoy the family and life.”
Before taking office as chief, Banks had multiple positions with Border Patrol throughout his career, including as head agent of the Weslaco, Texas, station. The Houston Chronicle reported that Banks said he left the Border Patrol in 2022 because he disagreed with President Joe Biden’s policies, “including his decision to end mandatory DNA testing of migrants and to assign more agents to process migrants for release amid a record surge in crossings.”
Shortly after he stepped down, Banks was tapped by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as the state’s first border czar. He stayed in that position from January 2023 to January 2025, advising Abbot during Operation Lone Star, the state’s response to what Texas officials described as a “border crisis” under President Joe Biden’s administration.
That operation, and Banks’ role in it, won praise from President Donald Trump, who appointed Banks as the top Border Patrol official in January 2025.
Banks led the agency through a period of significantly expanded enforcement, in line with the Trump administration’s hard-line campaign to arrest and deport people in the country without legal status.
Since immigration enforcement officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, the president’s agenda has lost popularity with voters, and no new major city-based operations have been launched.
CNN contributed to this report.
